<img class="alignleft  wp-image-1595" style="margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; border: black 1px solid;" title="Pharmacy Tech Student Shannon Cambpell " alt="Pharmacy Tech Student Shannon Cambpell " src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Shannon-Campbell-RESIZED-300x225.jpg" width="168" height="126" />After being abandoned by a majority of her family and taking on the role of a single, teenage mother Shannon Campbell was at a low point. Since enrolling in the <a title="SJVC Pharmacy Technology Program " href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology" target="_blank">Pharmacy Technician </a>(PT) program at SJVC Shannon has developed an appreciation and respect for herself like never before.

Having her son Semajay at the young age of 18 brought on unfortunate turmoil within her family. With many relationships struggling Shannon was feeling defeated.

“After I got pregnant everyone but my mom and sister - everyone gave up on me and that was really hard to get over,” Shannon expresses. “Being abandoned like that hurt, a lot.”

Hoping to escape from the depressed state she was in and to give her son a better life, she decided to look into SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Lancaster Campus " href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> campus after seeing countless commercials. Looking back she couldn’t be happier with that choice.

“I love it, I don’t just like it!” she states.

Much of Shannon’s excitement for her future as a Pharmacy Technician stems from being able to provide for her son.

“It sounded important and I wanted to feel important,” she recalls. “My son asked me ‘Mom, what do you do?’ and it felt so good that I could answer that question and say ‘Mommy’s a Pharmacy Technician’ - and for him to understand that mommy does something.”

Throughout her time here Shannon has learned many things about herself, not least that she has every reason to be confident in herself and make no room for doubt.

This exuberance for her new found life and education is noticed and appreciated throughout campus,

“Shannon is an outstanding student who is not only attentive but is so very helpful to others,” PT instructor Bunnie Cervantes shares. “She has overcome so many obstacles in her young life and I admire her enthusiasm as well as her willingness to learn and be a great example for her fellow students.”

While Shannon looks forward to owning her very own home and giving her son space to be a kid, she always focuses on keeping a healthy attitude.

From the personalized instruction to the one-on-one assistance that is available here at SJVC, Shannon is truly grateful for every member of her “Pharmacy Family”, as she likes to call them.

“I really feel like SJVC changed my life,” Shannon says. “I’m changing as a person. I’m getting skills not just for my career, but for my life.”